Abiogenesis: a possible quantum interpretation of the telepoietic conjecture (2403.12955v1)

Abstract: In the research on the origin of life, topics that can be considered reasonably shared by the generality of researchers are initially identified. It is then shown that the application of these principles to the results obtained with the IdLE-IdLA mathematical model for the simulation of aggregative processes, leads to the conclusion that the primordial formation of self-replicating structures is difficult to reconcile with deterministic aggregative dynamics in the classical sense. Regardless of the extent to which the process itself is governed by chance or by aggregative codes written in the laws of chemistry, no conventional causality is likely. The model itself suggests only one possible way out, consistent with thermodynamics: the existence of information sets rushing into the system in a different way from the perceived time stream. The possibilities offered by quantum mechanics and its most recent interpretations are consequently investigated to try to interpret, at the level of particle physics, the suggestion of IdLE-IdLA model. The attempt leads to a mutual accreditation of macroscopic telepoiesis and a kind of quantum retrocausality. The result is a vision of the natural world in which the coexistence of causal and retrocausal dynamics is presented as a possible interpretative key of the whole complex of vital manifestations.

• The paper introduces the IdEP-IdLA model, demonstrating that heteropoietic aggregation creates a surplus of order in abiogenesis.
• The study applies a modified molar entropy framework with a coding factor (η) to simulate aggregation and predict target biomolecule formation.
• The authors propose a quantum telepoietic interpretation via retrocausality, suggesting non-temporal information flows may facilitate life’s origin.

This paper (2403.12955) investigates the challenging problem of abiogenesis – the origin of life from non-living matter – by applying a mathematical model of aggregative processes and exploring connections to interpretations of quantum mechanics.

The authors begin by outlining commonly accepted aspects of abiogenesis research: a natural tendency towards aggregation, evolution leading to increasing complexity, the need for abundant prebiotic material, and the initial aggregation occurring spontaneously without complex pre-existing ordering agents (like enzymes or nucleic acids).

The core of their analysis relies on the IdEP-IdLA mathematical model, which simulates the formation of linear aggregates (IdLAs) from elementary particles (IdEPs). IdEPs are analogous to monomers (amino acids, nucleotides), and IdLAs to polymers (proteins, nucleic acids). The model utilizes a modified expression of molar entropy for a mixture, incorporating an information-theoretic element – an "entropy of the descriptor" ($h_{IdLA}$) – linked to a "coding factor" ($\eta$). This factor quantifies the degree to which the aggregation process is guided, ranging from $\eta=0$ (random aggregation, like a memoryless information source) to $\eta=1$ (entirely forced, highly coded aggregation).

The model distinguishes between two types of aggregation:

1. Autopoietic: The ordering information resides within the reactive system itself, analogous to chemical binding energies determining reaction outcomes.
2. Heteropoietic: The ordering is guided by external agents that influence the synthesis without providing material, analogous to enzymes or nucleic acids guiding polymer formation.

A key result from the IdEP-IdLA model is that heteropoietic aggregation leads to a higher Gibbs free energy and a lower entropy (higher order) in the final system compared to autopoietic aggregation. This "surplus of order" is represented by an uncompensated entropy deficit $\sigma$, which classical thermodynamics requires to be compensated by dissipative processes related to the ordering agents' activity. The model can simulate the probability of forming a specific "target aggregate" (like a self-replicating structure) based on the coding factor $\eta$. While completely random aggregation ($\eta=0$) makes forming biologically relevant structures statistically improbable, relatively modest values of $\eta$ (e.g., 0.7-0.9) can significantly increase this probability to levels considered biologically interesting.

Applying these model results to abiogenesis highlights a dilemma:

• If life's origin relied on heteropoiesis in the traditional sense, it would require pre-existing complex ordering agents, which contradicts the prebiotic scenario.
• If it relied on autopoiesis based solely on inherent chemical affinities, it would require an implausibly powerful and specifically targeted "code" embedded in fundamental matter from the universe's beginning to explain the specific, complex structures necessary for life. The sheer variety and complexity of biological molecules make random formation, even with some inherent biases, statistically remote.

The IdEP-IdLA model, according to the authors, suggests a possible resolution: information flows into the system in ways not consistent with conventional causality or the perceived arrow of time. They term this telepoiesis, an aggregative mode with a finalistic nature requiring non-conventional information flow to compensate the entropy deficit $\sigma$.

The paper then explores whether quantum mechanics (QM) and its interpretations can provide a basis for such telepoiesis. They discuss retrocausality, the idea that causal influences can travel backward in time, or that fundamental processes might occur in a timeless dimension. They reference the Wheeler-Feynman absorber theory and, particularly, Cramer's Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (TIQM). TIQM posits that quantum interactions are "handshakes" between "offer waves" (forward and backward in time from an emitter) and "confirmation waves" (forward and backward in time from an absorber). Recent interpretations suggest these transactions might occur in a pre-temporal dimension, allowing information sets to influence outcomes non-deterministically in spacetime before the collapse of the wave function.

The authors propose a possible transactional interpretation of telepoiesis in the context of the IdEP-IdLA model. When elementary particles (IdEPs) bind to form aggregates (IdLAs), these bindings involve quantum interactions. In TIQM terms, candidate particles emit offer waves, and the growing aggregate acts as an absorber, emitting confirmation waves. These waves, potentially operating in a pre-temporal dimension, define the possibilities for the next bond according to Born probabilities. The "information set" or "code" suggested by the IdEP-IdLA model's coding factor $\eta$ can be interpreted as influencing which transaction among these possibilities is actualized. It biases the probabilities towards the formation of the "correct" sequence needed for the target aggregate. The coding factor $\eta$ in this view combines the strength of this bias (addressing action) and how much of the existing aggregate structure (depth of memory) influences the next transaction.

This perspective suggests that the highly improbable formation of complex biological structures during abiogenesis is not solely the result of chance or a rigid, deterministic code but potentially influenced by a subtle, non-local (in spacetime), non-deterministic flow of information operating in a pre-temporal quantum field. This "mutual accreditation" – the IdEP-IdLA model pointing to the need for non-conventional information flow (telepoiesis), and TIQM offering a plausible mechanism – forms the central argument.

The paper concludes by acknowledging that this is a working hypothesis. If telepoiesis exists, it likely coexists with classical causal dynamics and influences the natural world in a way that is difficult to detect with traditional experiments. Instead, its effects might be sought a posteriori by analyzing the formation of highly organized structures, particularly in dissipative systems far from equilibrium, potentially offering a new lens through which to view evolutionary history.